Dictating machine



' Feb. 16, 1937. T. H. BEARD ET AL 2,071,278

DI'CTATING MACHINE Filed June 24, 1953 Tan 3- ".2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ig E Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFIQE DICTATIN G MACHINE York Application June 24, 1933, Serial No. 677,447,

' Claims. (01. 274-17) This invention relates to improvements in dietating machines and more particularly to the motor circuit and sound-box control mechanism.

An object of the invention is to provide a more 5 easily operable sound-box control. Another object is to provide a simple and practical arrangement of such control in relation to a hood provided to cover and protect the exterior operating members of the machine. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of our invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a well known type of dictating machine, showing parts of the frame in cross-section.

Fig. 2 is in part a plan and in part a sectional view of a portion of the carriage showing the position and manner of mounting of the sound-box control lever, and its mode of connection to the sound-box shifting mechanism located between the side walls of the carriage.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the carriage in partial cross-section.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the various views of the drawmgs.

Referring to the drawings, a dictating machine is shown wherein the sound-box is adapted to be conditioned for recording, reproducing, or to be in neutral, and comprises a base plate 12 hinged upon and supported by a boxlike sub-base 5 adapted to enclose certain parts of the machine some of which may be supported upon the box itself while others depend from the underside of the base plate. This is the usual construction of a well-known type of dictating machine.

Rising from the left end of the base plate I2 is a left-hand standard [3 and from the right end of the base plate rises a right-hand standard (not shown). A housing I5 formed on the left end of the base plate adjacent the standard l3 0 provides a suitable bearing for a mandrel shaft l6 which supports a mandrel I! at its right or outer end. Upon this mandrel a record-cylinder may be mounted. A sound-box carriage 2| is mounted for travel longitudinally of the mandrel 55 upon an upper carriage rod 22 and a lower carriage rod 23 forming part of the frame and extending between the said standards. Carriage 2| carries a casing 25 within which is reciprocatively mounted a slide 25. Within this slide a tone-tube 29 is pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis in a well known manner. At the rear end of the latter is mounted the sound-box 30 provided with a recording stylus 3i and reproducing stylus 3i.

The slide 25 is operatively connected with a ring lever 32 so that when the ring lever is oscillated the sound-box is made to assume different positions in relation to the carriage. These positions correspond in the present construction tothe recording, reproducing and neutral positions of a control lever 20 (see Fig. 1) suitably connected to said ring lever to cause oscillation thereof, as will more fully appear hereinafter. The connection between the ring lever 32 and the slide 25 comprises a link 33 having a pivotal connection 34 with the said ring lever at a point L adjacent the periphery of said lever upon the lower side thereof. The link 33 makes a pinand-slot connection with a rearward extension of the slide 25. The mounting of the sound-box provides for it a limited range of movement toward and away from a record-cylinder mounted upon the mandrel so that it will properly engage record-cylinders of various diameters, or to compensate for eccentricity or run-out of the cylinders. The ring lever 32 is pivotally mounted on the carriage rod 22 within a cut-away portion 36 of the carriage 2|, this movement being limited in extent in both directions from a neutral position whereat both styli are removed from the record-cylinder and the pivot point 34 is substantially on the line of the vertical axis of the carriage rod 22.

Referring to Fig. 3 in which the parts are shown in neutral position, a swing in an anticlockwise direction of the ring lever will move the sound-box into correct position for the engaging with a record of the recording stylus 3|, while at the same time permitting said stylus to come down into engagement with the record. A movement of the ring lever in a clockwise direction, on the other hand, will permit the reproducing stylus 3| to assume its proper position and to engage the record-cylinder. Also it should be noted that when the ring lever is in its central or neutral position a cam face thereon engages a cooperating surface on a feednut 38 to move the feed-nut down and out of engagement with the feed-screw 39, which extends longitudinally within the carriage rod 22. Under these conditions the operator may freely move the carriage by hand back and forth longitudinally of the machine. When, however, the ring lever 32 is swung to either of its operative positions, the cam surface 3'! is withdrawn from the feed-nut 38, permitting the latter again to move upwardly into engagement with the feedscrew under the influence of a spring 40. With the parts in this position the carriage may no longer be moved freely relative to the recordcylinder but is able to take up a mechanical advance due to the rotation of the feed-screw.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the machine can neither record nor reproduce while the ring lever is in its neutral position. This arrangement permits loading and unloading the mandrel and also permits forward and backspacing movements of the carriage without danger of marring the surface of the record-cylinder as would be the case should the carriage be moved when either of the styli was in engagement with the said surface.

The sound-box control mechanism as far as above described is more completely set forth and disclosed in United States Patents Nos. 1,003,625, 1,100,024, and 1,093,732. These patents and this construction have been referred to and described as a matter of convenience, but it is to be understood that the principles of the present invention may be adapted to the use of sound-boxes and controls operating in a different manner.

The present invention concerns itself with the mechanism by means of which the ring lever 32 is oscillated by means of the sound-box control lever 20. As heretofore constructed it has been customary to extend upwardly from the ring lever a portion serving as a finger-piece for oscillating the same to its different positions. Because of its upstanding position the said fingerpiece was unsightly and was disadvantageous in that it made it difficult to provide a hood or cover for the machine. Such a cover is incorporated in the present machine and will be referred to hereinafter, it being sufiicient here to say that though open in front to give clearance and access to certain parts of the machine it envelopes the rear and upper portion of the standards, protecting the parts lying therebeneath and preventing the scattering of chips from the cylinders to the desk or table upon which the machine is mounted.

In the present construction the control lever is pivotally mounted at the front of the carriage upon a bracket member '10, more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. This bracket has offset lugs H engaging the right side wall 2 l of the carriage as seen from the front, which lugs are secured to the carriage by means of screws 12. The bracket extends forwardly, inclined slightly from the horizontal, and is provided with an extension or pointer 13 serving to indicate that when the control lever 22 lies parallel thereto the parts are in neutral position. Lever 28 is pivoted at 14 on the bracket and at 15 said lever supports a pivot pivotally mounting one end of a rearward extending link 16. This link 16 at its other end is pivotally connected at 11 with one arm of a bell crank lever '55 pivotally mounted at 19 upon a part of the carriage 2| The other arm of the bell crank lever pivotally supports as at 8B the lower end of an S-shaped link member 8|, the upper end of which is pivotally connected as at 82 to a forwardly extending lug 83 formed on the ring lever 32. It is to be noted that the mounting of the bell crank lever 18 is such that its pivotal connection Tl with link 76 is positioned outside the carriage side wall 2i and that its connection with the S-shaped link 8| is positioned inside said side wall. Movement of the control lever 20 downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 brings it to its recording position. This movement through link '16 oscillates bell crank lever 78 in a counter-clockwise direction pulling downwardly upon the S-link 8| and oscillating ring lever 32 in a counter-clock wise direction. This causes the slide 25 to move rearwardly to engage the recording stylus with the record-cylinder. At the same time this movement of the ring lever permits the feed-nut 38 to come into engagement with the feed-screw 30. Movement of the control lever 20 upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 causes oscillation of the ring lever 32 in a clockwise direction to reproducing position when the reproducing stylus will be brought into engagement with the record cylinder and the feed-nut 38 also made to engage with the feed-screw 39. The link 16 is offset at its forward end as shown at 84 in Fig. 2 and in this offset is threadedly mounted an adjustable screw which may be adjusted to the desired position to limit the rearward movement of the link 16 and of the control lever 20 by engagement of the end of the screw with a surface of the carriage.

The forward movement of the link 16 and the downward movement of control lever 20 is limited by the engagement of 2. lug 86 (formed upon the underside of the link 15) with the arm of the control lever 25 to which the said link is connected. Several advantages accrue from the employment of the present ring lever actuating means. The combined leverages existing between the control lever 28 and the ring lever comprise a diminishing motion train which makes it much easier to operate the control lever as very little force is required to swing the parts; whereas in former constructions where the ring lever oscillated directly by means of a fingerpiece there was no leverage gain and considerable force was found necessary to operate the sound-box slides and to overcome the resistance of feed-nut spring 40. This resulted in a jerky operation of the parts.

The cover or hood hereinbefore referred to is of very simple construction and may be fitted to any machine of the type disclosed having right and left standards. The cover, indicated generally by the reference numeral I60 comprises a long upper portion 65 which overlies the upper carriage rod 22 and standard l3. Rearwardly of the cover section 555 is a downwardly extending section I66 which completely encloses the rear of the machine, extending down substantially into engagement with the upper side of base plate l2.

It will be seen that there is provided a construction of an essentially practical nature in which the several objects of this invention are attained.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. The combination in a dictating machine having a housing-like carriage with a connection for a speaking tube projecting toward the front of the machine and a sound-box pivotally mounted within the carriage and adapted to assume certain selected positions, of a bracket plate rigidly secured to a side wall of said carriage and having a forwardly extending projection serving 75 as a sound-box position-indicator, a lever pivotally mounted on said bracket plate and having a forwardly projecting portion adapted to be moved into or out of registry with said indicator, and rockable means mounted on said carriage so as to extend laterally beyond said side wall of said carriage and connected interiorly with said sound-box and exteriorly with said lever.

2. The combination in a dictating machine having a housing-like carriage with a connection for a speaking tube projecting toward the front of the machine and a sound-box pivotally mounted within the carriage and adapted to assume certain selected positions, of a bracket plate rigidly secured to a side wall of said carriage and having a forwardly extending projection serving as a sound-box position-indicator, a lever pivotally mounted on said bracket plate and having a forwardly projecting portion adapted to be moved into or out of registry with said indicator, rockable means mounted on said carriage so as to extend laterally beyond said side wall of said carriage and connected interiorly with said soundbox and exteriorly with said lever, and means for limiting the throw of said lever.

3. The combination in a dictating machine having a housing-like carriage with a connection for a speaking tube projecting toward the front of the machine and a sound-box pivotally mounted within the carriage and adapted to assume certain selected positions, of a bracket plate rigidly secured to a side wall of said carriage and having a forwardly extending projection serving as a sound-box position-indicator, a lever pivotally mounted on said bracket plate and having a forwardly projecting portion adapted to be moved into or out of registry with said indicator, rockable means mounted on said carriage so as to extend laterally beyond said side wall of said carriage and connected interiorly with said soundbox and exteriorly with said lever, and adjustable means for limiting the throw of said lever.

4. In a dictating machine, in combination, a frame comprising a base, a cover securely fixed to said frame and open to the front of the machine having a back portion extending upwardly from said base and a top portion extending forwardly over said base, a housing-like carriage slidably mounted upon said frame above said base beneath said cover and having a speaking tube connection projecting forwardly beyond the edge of the said top portion of said cover, a sound-box movably mounted within said carriage and adapted to assume certain selected positions, a control lever pivotally mounted adjacent the exterior of a side wall of said carriage and having one arm projecting forwardly from beneath said cover and another arm connected to a rearwardly extending link, a bell crank mounted rearwardly of said operating lever having an arm dispose-d exteriorly of said side wall connected to said link, and an arm disposed interiorly of said side wall operatively connected to said sound-box.

5. In a dictating machine, in combination, a frame comprising a base, a cover securely fixed to side frame and open to the front of the machine having a back portion extending upwardly from said base and a top portion extending forwardly over said base, a carriage slidably mounted upon said frame above said base beneath said cover and having a speaking tube connection projecting forwardly from beneath said cover, a sound-box movably mounted on said carriage, a control lever pivotally mounted on said carriage and having an operating arm extending forwardly from beneath said cover adjacent said speaking tube connection, and means operatively connecting said lever with said sound-box.

THEODORE H. BEARD.

JOHN E. RENHOLDT. 

